Syracuse Crunch likely to play preseason schedule with a long road trip

Syracuse Crunch general manager Julien BriseBois said Thursday afternoon that the team will play three preseason games this year.

The catch: They will be at what he called a "remote location.''

In other words, a long ways from the War Memorial.

BriseBois said the Crunch will start the season in some sort of series/mini-tournament on the road, in a destination that's typically reached by plane (St. John's?). He would not reveal specifics yet.

BriseBois said he likes this sort of early getaway. Last year, Norfolk went to St. John's for three exhibitions. That worked out pretty well.

When BriseBois was with Hamilton, the Bulldogs took preseason trips to Newfoundland and even Scotland.

"I like the idea of going away and keeping everyone focused on the team,'' BriseBois said. "No distractions. No girlfriends. No one looking for a place to live. Everyone has one thing in mind, and that's the hockey team.''

BriseBois said he understands that Syracuse fans are eager to see their new team, even if it's just a preseason contest. But the thinks the tradeoff will be worth it.

"Hopefully, we'll be well-prepared to make a good first impression when that puck drops (for real),'' he said. "At the end of the day, we need to get ready to play hockey, and this is the best formula I've found.''

Still to be determined is whether the Crunch practices in Syracuse first and then goes on its trip or heads off on its journey right away. That depends upon whether the NHL season begins on time.

- BriseBois also told me that goalie Jaroslav Janus is looking for a place to play in Europe. Janus was a standout for Norfolk last season and the organization kept his rights by qualifying him. But for now he's a casualty of the team's depth at that position.

"We'll keep following his progress,'' BriseBois said. "He's a good player, a good prospect. He needs to play. He's looking for the best opportunity to get as many games as possible.''

- I asked BriseBois about 6-foot-3, 230-pound defenseman Dmitry Korobov, whom the organization has signed to a 2-year, 2-way deal out of the KHL. BriseBois said he sees NHL potential in the prospect.

"That's why we're bringing him in,'' BriseBois said. "The challenge for him, as in most players in the AHL, is how quickly can he adapt to the pace? We feel there are a lot of tools with him. We are going to provide him some resources, and see how far that takes him.''

And on what looks like a pretty good pool of Crunch defensive depth: "We're going to have eight really good defensemen to draw on. You can't have too many good defensemen.''